Food Photography | Daily Photography Challenge | "Capture, Click, Compete!" Varied Nutrition

Many people think that they follow a healthy regime - after all, they already eat broccoli, chicken and grapefruit (and only that), but having the same type of menu every day, they create prerequisites for unwanted reactions of the body. Let's clarify some things first so there are no misunderstandings.

Who is this post for?
For all those who have decided to change their harmful eating habits, but don't know where to start. For everyone who already follows a supposedly healthy diet, but finds it boring and boring. For everyone who thinks eating healthy means eating nothing but chicken, broccoli, rice and grapefruit. For everyone who is afraid to experiment with food.

Decided to make a change? Or are you already doing it? Congratulations! And sincere - this is an important and difficult step. I know because I've been down this road. Have you replaced French fries with oven-baked ones, and instead of breaded chicken legs, are you now eating grilled tenderloin? You regularly garnish with steamed broccoli, and grapefruit is your first friend. No more sugar-laden soft drinks. Hello, tea and water. So... every day.

Let's be clear: these foods are great on their own (I'm opening a bracket on the chicken - it's better if it's homemade or from reliable sources) and they're really considered healthy. But eating like this every day is no longer healthy.

The goal is simple but important: to provoke you to think. I'll be honest with you - I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nutritionist. Consult the relevant qualified person if you need help and advice (for example, nutrition for a certain disease or nutrition for various allergies, taking specific medications, etc.). Don't expect me to say, "You have to eat this way to get these results," "There's only one truth, and that's it." I will not try to sensationalize, because the truth is not one. Instead, I will share with you my 14 years of conscious dieting experience (which is still ongoing).

Some of them have been far from healthy, not to say reckless, but that's part of my journey and that's how it had to be in order to learn the things you're about to read. Don't take my words at face value, think about it. You don't have to wait 14 years.

I communicate with many people who decide to do something useful for themselves and build healthy eating habits. Most of them fall into a trap that is not the fault of healthy eating, but their understanding of it. They decide that it is enough to replace the five harmful foods they eat every day with five new, but healthy ones. And that's great, but more is needed.

Healthy, but monotonous - this is not useful!
Monotonous eating can lead to:

Boredom of following a healthy regime and gradually returning to harmful habits. Eating the same foods day after day is... unnerving and bad for the psyche;
Nutrient deficiency and depriving the body of a wide range of micronutrients. Every food has different nutritional content – some foods have vitamins and minerals that are not found in others;
Food allergies. There are specific antibodies on the lining of the gastrointestinal tract that have the important role of recognizing and capturing foreign bodies before they enter the bloodstream and lymph. Monotonous nutrition disrupts the natural recognition mechanism, and as a result, gaps in the work of antibodies are observed - they begin to react to food as they would to a foreign body.
Stagnation in achieving goals. This can be the result of boredom and negative emotions associated with the painfully familiar same-type menu, as well as food allergies.

Why is this trap reached? There are probably many possible answers, but I will give only one of them - the culprit of me falling into this trap a little over two years ago. I found out what calorie intake and macronutrient ratio I could achieve my personal goals. I calculated these ratios with a few food sources and started eating... only them. I felt comfortable knowing how much protein was in 165g of chicken and how much fat was in 2 eggs, size M. I started to achieve my goals, but at the same time I started to fear other types of foods because, even though they were healthy, I feared they might interfere with my goals. And honestly, what about the fact that I was sick of eggs, chicken, rice balls and cabbage - every day? I was achieving my goals! And so for a while. But then things took a turn for the worse and my body went into overdrive. I looked everywhere for the cause, but not in the five foods I had eaten every day for several months.

Varied nutrition That's how I got to the varied diet. I started to think more and question everything. Even what the experts said. I asked questions, found answers. The pieces of my personal puzzle began to fall into place. I realized that a healthy diet is not a uniform diet of healthy foods, but a varied diet of healthy foods. And we can reach our goals with more than 5 foods as long as we stay within the calorie intake and macronutrient ratios that are right for us. I want to emphasize that "a varied diet of healthy foods" does not mean "Monday - pork leg with sauerkraut; Tuesday - pork chops with coleslaw; Wednesday - pork liver with steamed cabbage...". The idea is to have multiple sources of the essential macronutrients and rotate them. Eat eggs, cauliflower and oatmeal today, enjoy turkey, Brussels sprouts, avocado and rice the next day, make delicious grilled fish on the third day. These are just examples of course to show my point easily. I apologize to vegans and vegetarians for constantly talking about meat and fish (as a source of protein), but I speak from personal experience, and I am a carnivore. Instead of chicken, you can substitute a plant-based protein source that you consume daily.

A varied diet with healthy food sources can lead to the following advantages:

Providing a wide range of micro- and macronutrients for the body;
Reducing the risk of creating deficits;
Reducing the risk of food intolerances;
Ability to combine different foods and spices so you don't feel like you're following a regimen.
In fact, that's the idea - to think of your diet as something that will help you achieve your goals in the long run and keep you healthy at the same time;
Discovering new tastes and combinations to give you pleasure from eating;
Willingness to experiment in the kitchen.
Yes - I have this plus - I want to put energy into preparing my own food and I can't wait to come up with new recipes;
Vitality and enjoyment of life.
Why not? You're providing your body with a variety of nutrients, and as long as you're not in too much of a calorie deficit or surplus, you'll feel more satisfied and energized.

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